GARDEN Q&A: Hybrid pluot, aprium fruit would be sparse

By Robert Cox, Special to the Rocky

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Question: In a garden catalog I saw a fruit tree called a pluot. Will this tree do well in the metro area?

Answer: A pluot is a hybrid tree that is 75 percent Japanese plum and 25 percent apricot. The tree would grow here, but is unlikely to bear fruit except in occasional years; it blooms early and our usual late frosts would probably freeze blossoms. Similarly, an aprium tree, which is 75 percent apricot and 25 percent Japanese plum, would be unlikely to bear fruit except in occasional years.

Q: My neighbor rakes up pine needles, saying they will make the soil too acidic. Is this true or can I use them as a mulch?

A: While pine needles are acidic, they have minimal effect on soil pH. Local soils are alkaline and resistant to change. Pine needles make a great landscape mulch - their uniform color brings out the color and contrast in your landscape.

Q: My 20-year-old crabapple trees are beautiful but have many root suckers at the base of the trunk and in the lawn. Is there anything I can do to discourage their growth? I pruned them out late last summer, but have a brand new luxurious crop this spring.

A: One of the disadvantages of crabapples is their suckering at the base. Crabapple varieties are budded onto apple rootstock; these vary in their suckering tendencies, but all sucker to some extent. You can prune suckers out; this may be a twice-annual chore. Another option is using a plant growth regulator called Sucker Stopper RTU, available at many garden centers. Read and follow directions carefully.

Robert Cox is an extension agent in Arapahoe County with Colorado State University Extension.